Lung Cancer

Lung cancer causes more cancer related deaths in the United States and Georgia than the next four causes of cancer-related mortality combined.

Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke are the best current strategies for preventing lung cancer. Effective means to discourage individuals from taking up smoking and to help current smokers quit smoking could help prevent a substantial portion of lung cancer cases. TRMC offers smoking cessation classes and disperses information concerning the risk factors of smoking throughout the community and surrounding counties as prevention measures.

Most lung cancer patients seen at TRMC are diagnosed in advanced stages. It is recommended that community awareness of the importance of early detection of lung cancer can be improved.

Symptoms are often absent until lung cancer has spread. On average, only 13% of the Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients at TRMC live for 5 years after diagnosis and only 7% of the small cell lung cancer (SMLC) patients live for 5 years after diagnosis. TRMC offers education related to risk factors and signs and symptoms of lung cancer throughout Tift county and surrounding communities.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines for diagnosis, workup and treatment of lung cancer are used by physicians at Tift Regional Medical Center.

The stage and type of lung cancer and the patient’s performance status guide treatment decisions and influence the prognosis. TRMC encourages physicians to provide a documented clinical and/or pathological stage at diagnosis prior to the initiation of treatment of lung cancer.